Yesterday we reluctantly posted on Mindy Budgor, memoirist and professional attention-seeker who’s telling anyone who’ll listen that she’s the first female Maasai warrior. Really we wanted to hear from readers. Here are two of the responses we received:

First off, @aerofloatbo writes:

I am a Maasai woman (from Kenya) and we have seen these (white) women come and go. We have Maasai women members of parliament, doctors, lawyers, professors, civil servants, teachers, nurses, business owners etc., but of course, we don’t exist in the eyes of fools like this Mindy woman whose sole purpose always appears to be to fetishize Maasai men (our sons, brothers, fathers and husbands) in one way or another. How many books are going to be written by white women about how they came and fell in love with a Maasai man, gave up everything for him, helped poor ignorant Maasai women, taught Maasai men how to behave etc, etc. We are sooooo fed up! I’m surprised it was an American this time because usually, the British are the WORST culprits. I can’t tell you how many British women troop through our villages every month with the express purpose of ‘teaching’ Maasai men something (or sleeping with them). And the problem with this Mindy fool is that she doesn’t realise that the men (whom without a doubt she spent money on by either buying them meals, clothes etc.) took her for a ride and laughed all the way to the bank while doing it. What a fool.

And here’s “Leah”:

As a Maasai woman I feel very offended by Budgor’s attempt to gain fame at the expense of Maasai culture. There is nothing unique she has done that a regular Maasai woman hasn’t done and/or experienced and we don’t call ourselves warriers for a good reason. It’s like me coming to America and claiming I am the first female football player because I spent two weeks at training camp! Her assertion is so ridiculous and really offensive to the Maasai people, the community was not involved, just a few selfish individual who are out to get a buck!

Thanks to @aerofloatbo, Leah, and the rest who joined in the discussion.